Just a little postscript on my last post, since fellow artist, Todd Bonita, and I were talking about how his father-in-law, David Baker, who passed away very recently, and my father were both smokejumpers. My father only spent 2 or 3 summers smokejumping, during the summers of 1948 - 1950, but he was very proud of being a smokejumper. While Dad smokejumped, Mom worked in the ranger station as a clerk. Although Dad went on to study law and become a businessman, later in life he would often state that his favorite job was still smokejumping! He belonged to the National Smokejumpers Association and a few years ago they produced the book Smokejumpers, in which Dad recounted his experience in the 1950 Hell's Canyon Snake River fire.
Also want to say, thanks Peggy, for buying an early miniature, right before my Ruby Slippers blog sale!
